Could You Be More Misunderstood?

As we say goodbye to the legend that is Matthew Perry, we unpack his complexities as well as those of his most beloved character - Chandler Bing

- SUFFIAN HAKIM

MATTHEW PERRY, perhaps most widely known as Chandler Bing from the wildly popular sitcom Friends, passed away on 28 October this year at his home in Los Angeles. He was 54. It was the tragic end to a deeply storied life, one defined by the laughter he brought to millions, but also by his battle with his addictions.

It took us a while to process the loss-post-COVID, Perry was regularly in our consciousness. There was the heartwarming Friends reunion-a much-needed shot of positivity after the uncertainty of an unprecedented pandemic. There was his confessional memoir, the bestselling Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, and the latenight talk show circuit he did to promote it. And there were news of his ongoing battle with alcoholism and drug abuse, culminating in his confession last year when he admitted that he had spent about US$7 million trying to get sober.

He was a complex individual - that cannot be argued. But it's his complexities that made him one of Hollywood's most misunderstood personalities. This extends to the characters he played as well, and we need not look further than Chandler Bing.